It is important for pilots to know the position of other aircraft in their airspace that may present a hazard to safe flight. Typical displays that illustrate other aircraft show text to provide important information such as altitude and speed. This text occupies much of the screen when there are several aircraft being displayed, thereby increasing the chance for confusion. Furthermore, the pilot must interpret the information provided in the text occupying his thought processes when he may have many other decisions to make.
With increased availability of Automated Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADSB) installations, Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) displays can show surrounding traffic with increased accuracy and provide improved situation awareness. In the ADSB system, aircraft transponders receive GPS signals and determine the aircraft's precise position, which is combined with other data and broadcast out to other aircraft and air traffic controllers. This display of surrounding traffic increases the pilot's awareness of traffic over and above that provided by Air Traffic Control. One known application allows approach in-trail procedures and enhanced visual separation and stationery keeping. With the CDTI display, flight crews can find the in-trail target on the display and then follow the target. However, when the number of ADSB targets becomes numerous, particularly in the vicinity of an airport, identifying a specific target efficiently on a CDTI display can be time consuming. For in-trail targets, pilots are typically given a tail number by ATC, which must often be typed into the CDTI display by the pilot. This procedure allows for errors by the pilot potentially typing in the incorrect number and is time consuming.
Two upcoming applications that empower the pilot to maintain separation independently during cruise and approach are the Next Gen Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) application and the CDTI application Enhanced Visual Separation on Approach (VSA). Both applications pair the own-ship with another ‘target’ or ‘reference’ aircraft and the flight crew is responsible for maintaining separation. The FIM relies on maintaining separation based on time. The CDTI VSA application relies on maintaining separation based on distance rather than time. These pilot controlled/delegated applications help in reducing the separation needed and thereby increase the capacity at an airport. Current cockpit displays do not have symbology that provides awareness of separation with another aircraft. There is no industry standard for a longitudinal scale.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a symbology that can display the aircraft separation and that can also be intuitive such that pilot can use it regardless of whether the desired separation is displayed based on time or distance. The symbology would also provide enough awareness/indications of the target aircraft deviations from flight plan and the target aircraft's next intended maneuver. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the exemplary embodiments will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.